Fellow Teachers--Nobody Else Understands!

[Haven]

I know there are a lot of you lurking out there--you lack energy, the days are blurring together, you''re starting to slur your words because it''s just too hard to focus anymore. Your nights are becoming restless, you''re having those dreams about showing up without your syllabus, or your quiz, or heaven forbid, your makeup. You start to hear bells every 47 minutes, taunting you. Riiiiiing. Riiiiiing.

You realize that once again you will have to schedule your bathroom trips to fit into five minute passing periods, including travel time and pushing through over-perfumed adolescents. Or sticky five-year-olds.

You look longingly at the frying pan sitting on your stove top. You mutter a little apology, a preemptive "I''m sorry" because you know it will sit egg-less for the next nine months. You will switch to pre-packaged meals and fiber-packed breakfast bars with silhouettes of dancing women on them. There will be no time for food preparation where you are going.

Your alarm clocks will all change, you will go back to waking up in the fives instead of the nines. You promise yourself that you will grade all of your papers as soon as you get them, that you will not stay up until the threes writing lesson plans and breaking copyright laws on the office copier. You know that these are empty promises. You make a note to stock up on under-eye concealer.

You now savor your midday trips to the gym. You smile a little longer at the old timers with whom you''ve been sharing treadmills and free weights all summer. You like to think they will miss you when you''re gone.

You have a long conversation with the telemarketer who calls at lunchtime. You tell him you will miss screening his calls. And you will.

Your poor dogs, they too will have to adjust to a new bathroom schedule.

Your friends don''t even pretend to sympathize with you. Your significant other thinks your insane. He reminds you that you slept until ten the other day.

Yes, you''ve got it, the sickness. The August curse. You''re down and nobody else understands, because SUMMER IS COMING TO AN END!

Oh, the pain! The despair! The parent phone calls!

 

[gwendolyn]

*grins* I feel your pain, although I''m in special ed so I have IEP paperwork to do instead of grading papers. But it''s all the same in the end!! Working with kids is DRAINING! Why do no office-job folks understand that? *sniffles*

 

[zoebartlett]

Haven,

I was JUST thinking of how sad I''ll be when school starts in a few weeks. I''m not ready AT ALL to go back and you''d think I''d get used to it by now. Every year it''s the same old thing. The good thing is that 4 of my friends are teachers so we can commiserate together. The bad thing is that we''re spread out throughout New England so we don''t see each other as often as we''d like.

I always know school is about to begin because I start planning things in my everyday life in 30 minute blocks (remember, I teach 7 and 8 year olds).

I plan the best times to use the bathroom, and I even pack a bagged lunch even if I''m just eating at home...just because.

 

[Haven]

I''m so over-dramatic!

Gwendolyn--That IEP paperwork can be overwhelming--will the changes to the IDEA law affect your workload even more now? We''ll have to start documenting teacher interventions like mad, now. What age to you teach?

Zoe--You''re too funny! I love that you eat bag lunches at home, that''s hilarious! I''m the worst at packing lunches, I had to buy lunch in our cafeteria way too much last year, it was not good.

When do you ladies go back? I start this MONDAY, the 13th! I''m actually excited too, but it''s so hard to start up again, especially since I''m the first of all my teacher friends to go back. Waaaaah!

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 8/7/2007 1:37:34 PM
Author: Haven
Gwendolyn--That IEP paperwork can be overwhelming--will the changes to the IDEA law affect your workload even more now? We''ll have to start documenting teacher interventions like mad, now. What age to you teach?

I don''t know how IDEA will change my workload, actually, because I''m soon leaving to go to England for grad school! (Aside: I''ve got my certi. in instrumental music education K-12th grade, but I''ve been doing special ed for the past 2 years and want to get certified in that so I''m going to grad school for it this fall.)

I''ve been doing elementary with special ed (K & 5th, almost exclusively), but with music I''ve taught elementary through college and a handful of adults too. I get around.

 

[zoebartlett]

Haven, you go back on the 19th?? My aunt and my cousin (diff. sides of my family) teach in CO and I know they go back soon but I can''t remember when. My mom and I work in the same district and we go back on the 29th. I just finished my summer letter to my new kids and I''ll send that out at the end of the week.

Do you ever feel like you have no idea what to do at the beginning of the year? I always feel like that. This will be my 5th year teaching but it still overhwhelms me at times. The sense of responsibility is huge and figuring out the best ways to do things is something I still work on. How should I plan guided reading? Do I have enough books and materials? What is the best way to use parent volunteers and aides? The list goes on and on.

Yeah, about the bagged lunches, I''m actually training myself. If I start planning and packing my lunches ahead of time, I figure that by the time school starts, I won''t be temped by all the goodies people bring in. Really though, who am I kidding?

 

[Haven]

Gwendolyn--That''s so exciting, congratulations on getting into grad school! Good luck to you, and I hope you enjoy your time in England.

Zoe--I go back the 13th, it''s true, this Monday, I''m so not mentally prepared. My school gets out before Memorial Day every year, which is really nice in May, but it is so hard to go back first in August!

I know exactly what you mean about starting a new year--I''m always torn between 17 different ideas. I''m actually revising all my syllabi right now, which is why I''ve been on PS so much today! But yes, it is so hard to plan that first week, especially since we don''t know the kids yet, so we have no idea how they''ll respond or what they need. Ugh!

I think I''m going to try your lunch training method for the rest of the week--I definitely need to get back into the habit. Packing a lunch for myself is the LAST thing I want to do when I get home at night during the school year, so a little conditioning might do me some good!

 

[suzi]

LOL! I am feeling sort of the same thing, only from the parent POV! I just registered my oldest for highschool today, and it was overwhelming! I moved from table to table writing checks, and signing away all my precious free time to volunteer for this, that, and the other thing...so far I am in for selling programs at the local university football games, running the Dominos Pizza concession at the baskeball games, volunteering in the libraray, signed up for the PTO and the athletic booster clubs, reserved my permanant spot in the school''s chapel for Eucharistic Adoration every Friday (it''s a Catholic highschool), and volunteered to help out in the drama department productions... and that''s just the tip of the ice berg! I know I will also be chaperoning numerous field trips and dances, driving my kid to her afterschool activities and practices for basketball and softball, and attending various meetings throughout the year. Then there is the homework. I swear, some of the teachers like to torture the parents! LOL! I know they must love to think of us gluing together dioramas at 2AM, or propping toothpicks under the eyelids of our children when they are up all night trying to finish a term paper or cram for a test...lol!

I get to go next week and do the same thing with my elementary school child. Yipee! More volunteer sheets, more checks to write, and more comittees to head up. I know I''ll end up being coerced into being a room mother again...it happens EVERY year!

I have to say goodbye to sleeping in and spending half the morning in my comfy PJ''s and flip flops. I have to get up EARLY now, and do my hair and put some makeup on, just in case one of the other mother''s who volunteered to drive on the field trip didn''t show up, or they need a last minute replacement for the parent who was supposed to serve meals in the cafeteria this week. Sigh. I didn''t miss those last minute frantic searches for the PE clothes that were brought home last week, but were neglected to be added to the laundry so they could be fresh for this week''s PE day! I also don''t miss trying to make it to the library before they close because my kid forgot that he needed three more resources for his report of frogs that is due tomorrow. Or trying to whip up a sack lunch out of nothing because my daughter looked at the lunch menu two minutes before we leave the house for school and decided she just simply couldn''t eat the meatloaf that was being served today. Oh, and let''s not forget those notes that occasionally come home about the kid who showed up with head lice, or strep throat, or some other highly contagious ailment that my kid is SURE to get because that kid is his/her best friend and they share EVERYTHING!!!

Gosh, I''m gonna miss lying by the pool in the afternoons. I''ll be too busy trying to organize car pool. My garden will grow weedy because I''ll be standing in line at the Office Depot buying schools supplies, or bribing my whiney 8 year old to please sit still for just a few more minutes while I try to fit him with shoes (which is painful since he''s been either barefoot or wearing flip flops for the past 12 weeks!) But worst of all, no bling bling this month, because all the spare moola has been spent on schools supplies, PE shoes, new book bags, and that "to-die-for" new jacket that my daughter will be absolutely NOBODY unless she has on the first day of school!!!

It''s hard times all over, trust me.

 

[Haven]

Oh, Sipper--I don''t even want to think about how I''m going to be able to teach AND be a mom one day! No, I don''t even know how that''s possible! How do you do anything AND be a parent? Trust me, I have no idea how hard it is, but I do appreciate that it is harder than anything I''ve ever had to do.

And any teacher that likes the idea of parents staying up all night to do school projects is a BAD TEACHER!

Good for you for volunteering for so many things, it''s hard to get some parents to even come in to sign a form for their kids.

I was just poking fun at myself and how damn dramatic I''m being about going back into the classroom with this topic. It''s not easy work, and if we didn''t get the summers off I don''t know anyone who would actually be able to survive it, but I know I have it easy! I love my job, and after a week of getting up at 5 AM it (sadly) becomes easier.

 

[Selkie]

Date: 8/7/2007 1:17:00 PM
Author: gwendolyn
Working with kids is DRAINING! Why do no office-job folks understand that? *sniffles*

Haven, your post made me laugh. I''m not a teacher, but I did think long and hard about becoming a science teacher. And count me as one office-worker who TOTALLY gets that working with kids is draining, which is why I decided against it! I admire all of you who teach very, very much...

 

[AGBF]

When I was in my 20's I had a master's degree in history and decided to teach high school history while pursuing my Ph.D. (I ended up teaching school for three years before returning to university to become a social worker!) During these three years I decided that teaching was the cruelest profession invented.

One waited all through the school year for the end of the year, which eventually came...with a bang. After the sheer end of the year madness with more to do than was possible, relief arrived at last. And with it...a sense of boredom and guilt. One didn't know what to do with oneself! After several weeks one got into the swing of vacation, going to the beach and reading novels. And then August arrived...and the nightmares.



Deborah

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 8/7/2007 4:19:41 PM
Author: Haven
Gwendolyn--That''s so exciting, congratulations on getting into grad school! Good luck to you, and I hope you enjoy your time in England.

Thanks you, darlin''! I certainly hope to--my school is fab and my boyfriend lives over there, so I''m very much looking forward to it!

Oh, and I go back the 21st; I don''t think I mentioned that earlier. You go back Monday? That sucks. Hopefully not with kids so soon, right? You have a week to get your room ready and ease back into the schoolyear-frame-of-mind first, jah? That first week without kids is my saving grace--if I didn''t have that, I''d go insaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane!

 

[Haven]

Gwendolyn--No such luck--the kids come back Tuesday, the 14th, so we have one day without ''em. After I posted I read in another thread that your BF lives in England, so that is going to be wonderful! I''m so happy for you that you get to study AND be close to your man!

Deborah--I have to think being a social worker is much more demanding than being a teacher! I know what you mean about the grueling year, but I really do love it. I can see how teachers burn out after years and years, I''m not so sure how long I''ll last. Did you get your PhD in social work? I''ve always planned on getting my PhD eventually, but I''ve yet to focus on one discipline that I truly want to research. So far I''ve collected an MA and an MEd, so I''m going to have to get a doctorate if I want to go back again!

Selkie--Thanks for your kind words! I can tell you that NONE of my non-teacher friends feel bad AT ALL that I have to go back to work--they all just laugh at me and roll their eyes. I don''t blame them, I''ve been off for eleven weeks! I used to do the same thing when my mom complained about going back in the fall, she''s a teacher and I was so jealous of her long summers when I was plugging away at work in the corporate world.

 

[suzi]

Ha ha, Haven! You''ll do fine as a parent. Nobody knows how they will do it until they have to! That''s just the way it is. I kind of think the human race would have died out a long time ago if we knew before hand what we would have to go through ahead of time, but it all ends up being worth it in the long run. Somehow you find a way to make that 24 hours every day stretch out to accomodate all that you need to do. You just do.

I think I end up volunteering for so many things for two reasons...I''m one of the few stay-at-home moms and the teachers all know that I can''t use work as an excuse to get out of things, and I am no good at saying "no"...lol! I''m really not. But I actually like most of it. It just seems overwhelming if I think of it all at once. And I know you were just poking fun at yourself. I was doing the same. I allow myself to get a little bit lazy each summer, and I really pay for that during the first couple of weeks of school! OMG, 6AM seems earlier every year!

When I was still working at the hospital and my oldest was still in the early grades, I somehow figured out how to make it all work. Some days I ask myself how I was able to hold down a full time job, take care of the household stuff, AND have any time left to volunteer at school, do homework with the kids, and find time to sleep. But I did it. And I know I could do it again if I had to!

Oh, and there are a few of those "bad teachers" out there who seem to love to give too much homework

. But for the most part I''ve found that I love nearly every teacher my children have ever had. Teaching has got to be one of the hardest jobs in the world, and I give major kudos (and thanks) to all of you who dedicate so much of yourselves to our children. Which is why I always volunteer to do various things for teacher appreciation week, too.

 

[phoenixgirl]

The dreams started immediately on August 1st . . . I miss my classes due to confusion regarding my schedule . . . I''m expected to teach health or math and can''t figure out how the administration messed that up so badly . . . bleh.

Last year was my fifth year of teaching and was the easiest by far. I had no new preps, and due to the sudden creation of a third section of honors which went to another teacher, I only had 45 honors students instead of 75 (I had 35 lowest-level students instead of 15, so that was the trade off, but they require much less grading and preparation. I''ve taught so many sections of that class I can do it in my sleep.). This year I might have 90 honors students plus two other classes to keep up with. That will be double the grading of last year!

My goals for this year are to leave school at school. With a hundred or more students, there will always be students with behavior problems, students with learning problems, students placed in the wrong class, students with crazy parents, a janitor who asks you to do big chunks of his job for him (no, really), etc. I just need to do the best that I can while I''m at school, then leave it there. That doesn''t mean I won''t do grading at home, just that I don''t want to think about school all the time. It''s hard when you care about your students and your job not to think about them at home, and I''m glad to say that the gist of my school talk went from complaining/frustration the first couple of years to funny/sympathetic stories about my classes, but still . . .

One of my friends from work has called me once over the summer (I''d love to hang out more but she mostly spends time with her husband), and it was just to complain about work. She''s on some committee that is supposed to force us to teach the same things at the same time all across the county (not a problem if you teach something chronological like history or follow the textbook in math or science, but impossible to do with English when there aren''t enough copies of each book). I''ve seen so many initiatives and impossible hoops we are supposed to jump through that I really couldn''t get as upset as she wanted me to be. I just thought, "Uh huh, sure, I''ll put on my syllabus that I''m teaching it that week and then say, whoops, I had to make a last minute change due to the unavailability of that book. Coincidentally, that means I am teaching things in the same order I always do."

I''m also looking forward to the "welcome back to work" letter we always get which suggests that we come in early to get some training over with before our work week since it will be so jam-packed of other important training. I''ve learned that if you go to training on your own time, it always take three times as long. So not only did you come in to work when you didn''t have to, but you obviously listened to explanations and practiced procedures that were useless.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 8/7/2007 11:21:07 PM
Author: Haven
Deborah--I have to think being a social worker is much more demanding than being a teacher! I know what you mean about the grueling year, but I really do love it. I can see how teachers burn out after years and years, I'm not so sure how long I'll last. Did you get your PhD in social work? I've always planned on getting my PhD eventually, but I've yet to focus on one discipline that I truly want to research. So far I've collected an MA and an MEd, so I'm going to have to get a doctorate if I want to go back again!

Hi, Haven-

I was unclear about my own background. I had been studying for a Ph.D in history and decided to teach high school history, based on my master's degree, while I did so. I found that job, given its calendar, to be very grueling. I still remember the nightmares!

I got sidetracked from history by my students. I found I was consoling teenage girls in my office after they had had fights with their mothers or their boyfriends. I decided to become a social worker instead of an historian.

In my opinion, if one keeps his eyes open, life is full of tragedy. Tragedy that affects others if not oneself. Not only social workers see it. All human beings see it. It is discussed (thank you, Andrey for continuing the tradition started by Irina and Leonid) here on some of our Pricescope discussion boards because our own members face it every day. That is life. If one is lucky, he has friends and family to help him through the dark hours.

You have a very hard job and one that our society needs. Congratulations on getting so much education. I wish you strength!!!

Hugs,
Deb

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 8/7/2007 11:21:07 PM
Author: Haven
Gwendolyn--No such luck--the kids come back Tuesday, the 14th, so we have one day without ''em. After I posted I read in another thread that your BF lives in England, so that is going to be wonderful! I''m so happy for you that you get to study AND be close to your man!

What?! You only get ONE DAY to prepare before the kids come back?!! That''s insanity! Craziness! I can''t believe i!

Where do you teach that they make you get ready for the whole year in one stinkin'' day? That''s nowhere near enough time, you poor thing...

 

[NYCsparkle]

arrrgggg!!!!

i am going back to work after taking a year "off" to raise my son. i am having those dreaded middle of the night wake ups because i''m stressing about all of the things i need to do to prepare my classroom.

august is the worst month for teachers. i teach 2nd graders.

what i have to look forward to and SOON:
i dread the lunch box odor after a few weeks.
the i need to go to the bathroom, but already did in my pants,
the he took my pencil routine,
she looked at my paper,
parents whining about how their kids should skip a grade or be in an advanced class, yet they struggle to read,
excuses for why works not done,
lunch fights that somehow become your responsibility even though you weren''t there,
crying because someone stuck their tongue out at someone,
the i don''t like him, but they say i do fights.....the list goes on....add some more...lol

 

[Haven]

Oh, ladies, is it bad that it''s comforting to know I''m not the only one who is partially dreading the return to school?!

I did just get good news though: I''m going to chaperone a trip to Greece next summer!!!! It''s two weeks long, there will be four teachers (and I''m friends with the other three, of course) and we''re not sure how many kids. EEEEEH! I''m so excited!

Sipper--I''m sure you''re right, I bet the human race would die out very soon if people knew what they were getting into before they had kids! I have twin baby cousins, 18 months, and just spending an afternoon watching them terrifies me!

It''s so wonderful that you volunteer for so much, I''m sure it means a lot to your children, even if they won''t admit it.

Phoenixgirl--I''m sorry to hear about all the extra grading you''ll have to do this year--YUCK! I teach English, and I get so envious of our math teachers, oh to have a scantron-based curriculum! Not that their job is easy, but the essay grading can really bring a girl down.

I know what you mean about leaving school at school, but is it possible? I find myself worrying about other people''s kids so much, how will I ever have time for my own in the future?

Uggh--new initiatives, new ideas, I wish we could focus our collaborative energy on ideas that are PRACTICAL, EFFECTIVE, and FORWARD-MOVING! Everyone needs to teach the same thing at the same time? Okay, we can start doing that ONCE OUR STUDENTS BECOME PRE-PROGRAMMED ROBOTS WITH NO DIFFERENCES! Oy.

AGBF--Your insights about life being full of tragedy are really interesting to me. I have never looked at life in this way, I tend to be an optimist with a strong internal locus of control. Is there any literature that discusses this idea? Any suggestions? I''m always interested in reading about different perspectives on life! I just finished rereading Fromm''s The Art of Being, so good.

Gwendolyn--Sad, but true--one day only. I think they expect us to come in during the break to get things ready, which we do. I''ve been in all week, I spent the entire day yesterday cleaning and organizing and hanging up pictures. I teach in a high school in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and I really do love my school, but yes, one day is a bit short!

NYC--Oooh, good luck with going back to work! And congratulations on having your son! I envy the patience you must have to teach the little guys, and the work you do is so much more vital to their development than anything I do with my high schoolers--thank you! And good luck!

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 8/8/2007 3:39:45 PM
Author: gwendolyn

Date: 8/7/2007 11:21:07 PM
Author: Haven
Gwendolyn--No such luck--the kids come back Tuesday, the 14th, so we have one day without ''em. After I posted I read in another thread that your BF lives in England, so that is going to be wonderful! I''m so happy for you that you get to study AND be close to your man!

What?! You only get ONE DAY to prepare before the kids come back?!! That''s insanity! Craziness! I can''t believe i!

Where do you teach that they make you get ready for the whole year in one stinkin'' day? That''s nowhere near enough time, you poor thing...

Actually, we do too. The day before school starts is a district-wide day in the morning, where we hear from the superintendant, hear about new changes in our school staffs and buildings, etc. Then we return to our own schools and have a school staff meeting. THEN, usually after lunch, we have the rest of the day to ourselves to finish setting up our rooms, work on curricula, etc. We always end up using our free time sometime in August to get the big stuff done.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 8/8/2007 7:53:50 PM
Author: NYCsparkle
arrrgggg!!!!

i am going back to work after taking a year ''off'' to raise my son. i am having those dreaded middle of the night wake ups because i''m stressing about all of the things i need to do to prepare my classroom.

august is the worst month for teachers. i teach 2nd graders.

what i have to look forward to and SOON:
i dread the lunch box odor after a few weeks.
the i need to go to the bathroom, but already did in my pants,
the he took my pencil routine,
she looked at my paper,
parents whining about how their kids should skip a grade or be in an advanced class, yet they struggle to read,
excuses for why works not done,
lunch fights that somehow become your responsibility even though you weren''t there,
crying because someone stuck their tongue out at someone,
the i don''t like him, but they say i do fights.....the list goes on....add some more...lol

Me too, and the things you wrote are SOOOO true! I got tired of hearing my name every few minutes one day last year that I told my kids I was changing my name and not telling them what my "new" name was.

It still amazes me how little teaching we do (teaching the curricula that is), when we spend so much time on social skills and friendship issues. Do you ever feel like you should have a masters in counseling and that you double as a guidance counselor at times?

 

[gwendolyn]

Oi vey. I teach in Howard County, sorta between D.C. and Baltimore (in Maryland), and we have four days to set up before the kids arrive! And every year, we all spend the first day mourning our return and thanking the powers that be that we have a few more days to adjust to being back before the rugrats arrive! I seriously think I'd go mental after the first hour if I had kids on the 2nd day. You ladies are amazing, holy cow!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 8/8/2007 3:19:13 PM
Author: AGBF

Hi, Haven-

I was unclear about my own background. I had been studying for a Ph.D in history and decided to teach high school history, based on my master's degree, while I did so. I found that job, given its calendar, to be very grueling. I still remember the nightmares!

I got sidetracked from history by my students. I found I was consoling teenage girls in my office after they had had fights with their mothers or their boyfriends. I decided to become a social worker instead of an historian.

Hugs,
Deb

Deb, I remember over the holiday break you were frustrated w/middle school students so I am glad you are doing something you now enjoy! Cheers.

Haven I bet you are a great teacher!!!

 

[Haven]

Awww, thanks Skip! I''m trying, but it will be YEARS before I get a solid handle on teaching, maybe even DECADES!

Gwendolyn--Oy vey is right! (That just reminded me of something funny that my parents "taught" me to do as a child--grab my head with both hands, rock to the left and right and say "OY VEEEY! OY VEEEY! So funny, those parents, I''m glad I was useful entertainment for them!) Anyway: I am so jealous. Your district is considerate to give you several days to prep, we have to use our summers!

Zoe--I DEFINITELY feel like a counselor at times, I''ve been reading literature about dispute resolution all summer to help prepare myself better for this year!

Good luck to all my fellow educators who are preparing to go back! Let the races begin!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 8/9/2007 11:07:37 PM
Author: Skippy123
Deb, I remember over the holiday break you were frustrated w/middle school students so I am glad you are doing something you now enjoy! Cheers.

Skippy, You pay waaay too much attention to what you read! I never would have thought you (or anyone not a close friend of mine) would remember that! That was not my foray into teaching...that was just a bizarre episode. I taught from 1978 to 1981. I ended up back in a classroom because the school my daughter attended approached me, a mother in 2006, and asked me to teach. Not history to high school kids, either! French and English to fifth through eigthth graders. It was madness!

Deb

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I head back to teacher workdays on August 20th and the kids come back on the 27th. I was busy this summer and it really flew by! Our older daughter just graduated from college and will be teaching 5th grade at a school around the corner from mine. So we have been to her school to paint some bookshelves and move some boxes of books in, etc. I feel tired and haven''t even stated back yet!

 

[Haven]

Skippy--I ENVY your memory! Wow!

Diamondseeker--Congratulations to your daughter on her new job! Yay--another second generation educator! I know what you mean about not feeling rested by the start of the new school year, unfortunately. I was in school all last week making photocopies of my syllabi and rearranging desks, and all I kept thinking was: Is this really happening? I haven''t even gotten to rest yet!

Good luck with the school year, enjoy your last week off!

I go back on Monday, kids come Tuesday. Waaaaaaaaaah!

 

[NYCsparkle]

my kids don''t come back til september...day after labor day.

i''m already having back to school anxieties.

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Haven,

Have a wonderful first day of school (with your staff) tomorrow!!!

 

[Harleigh]

Oh, Haven, how I wish I''d seen this thread earlier!

I share your pain as I go back tomorrow also, to sit in a meeting all day, and then the kids arrive on Tuesday. I have spent so many days there this summer, but I feel like I''ve accomplished absolutely NOTHING!!! My room lstill ooks like a war zone, I have no lesson plans done, and I am SO afraid I won''t wake up on the first day of school...I did that once years ago, so it is a real possibility in my world.

After teaching 1st grade for 10 1/2 years, I am moving up to 2nd, and none of the teachers in that grade level do anything together and have not been very helpful, I''m ashamed to say. The one gal I was planning to work with turned up pregnant and will only be there for the first 2 months. I am definitely feeling sunk right about now, and I just can''t believe that my summer is already over. I also have 2 Brendan''s, 2 Charissa/Corissa''s, and 3, that''s right, THREE Dylan''s...a Dillon, Dylon & Dylan. I also knew I was going to have the 2 Sp. Ed. kids, but on Friday I discovered I now have another one, as well as another EL student added to the list as one old teacher refuses to get her CLAD, and no one felt the need to mention these changes in my class list to me! Arrghhh!

We used to be a year-round school, but are now on modified traditional, but we still don''t get out until the 3rd week in June. This is the latest we''ve ever started, but I noticed that next year we go back a week earlier again, so that screwed up the wedding date I wanted, so everything will have to be bumped back a week or two.

Had I known I would be planning a wedding for next year, I would NOT have switched grade levels! I could teach first grade blindfolded with both hands tied behind my back...but second grade, I don''t have a clue!

Good luck tomorrow, and have a great day back with the kids on Tuesday...I''ll be thinking about you!